The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the
northeastern United States. Most of its population of 6.4 million live in the
Boston metropolitan area. The eastern half of this relatively small state is
mostly urban and suburban. The west is primarily rural, also with most of its
population in urban enclaves. Massachusetts is the most populous of the six New
England states and ranks third in overall population density among the 50
states.

The first Europeans to settle New England landed in present-day
Massachusetts. These settlers were primarily separatist non-conformists later
called Pilgrims, and also Puritans from England seeking religious freedom. They
founded Plymouth, Salem, and Boston, which soon became the hub of the region,
then the Pioneer Valley along the Connecticut River where the state's best
agricultural land was concentrated. A century and a half later, Massachusetts
became known as the 'Cradle of Liberty' for the revolutionary ferment in Boston
that helped spawn the war of the Thirteen Colonies for independence.

During the 19th century, the Massachusetts economy transformed from primarily
agricultural to manufacturing, making use of its many rivers to power factories
for shoes, furniture, and clothing that drew labor from Yankees on subsistence farms at first, and later
drew upon immigrant labor from Europe. The industrial economy declined in the
early twentieth century with the movement of many manufacturing companies to the
southern United States, to draw upon cheaper labor. A revitalization came in the
1970s when, nourished by the graduates of the area's many elite institutions of
higher education, the Boston suburbs (particularly those
near Route 128) became home to dozens of high-technology companies.
Massachusetts's colleges and universities, as well as its
technology sectors, continue to thrive.